Michael Doherty’s Music Log

Brief Notes On New Jazz Releases

by Michael Doherty

Vocalist CeCe Gable delivers some wonderful standards, including a few Cole Porter numbers, on her new album, More Than A Song. Joining her on this release are Roni Ben-Hur on guitar, Brian Landrus on baritone saxophone and bass clarinet, Harvie S on bass, and Sylvia Cuenca on drums. The opening track, “East Of The Sun,” features a nice lead on bass, but it is her rendition of “As Long As I Live,” which follows it, that really pulls me in. There is something sweet and honest and romantic about CeCe’s voice, which works just perfectly here. There is an intimacy that is endearing and adorable, fitting for lyrics like “What if I can’t live to love you/Long as I want to/Life isn’t long enough, baby/But I can love you as long as I live.” That track also features some wonderful work on guitar. That intimate and romantic vocal style is also incredibly effective on “I Thought About You,” another of the album’s highlights. “My Shining Hour” features some really good work on drums. And as for the Cole Porter compositions, CeCe Gable gives us a cool rendition of “What Is This Thing Called Love,” where she is backed by Harvie S on bass, a version of “It’s Alright With Me” that has a good sense of movement and features a fantastic lead from Brian Landrus, and a rendition of “I Concentrate On You” that includes a nice lead on bass